Project Description

Meet the Al Othman family

Mohamad Al Othman and his wife Wafaa Yousef are the younger brother and sister-in-law of Hekmat Al Othman, the father in OCRA’s Family Support Group #5. They met in Beirut after feeling Homs, Syria.

Mohamad worked as a carpenter before the war. Once the fighting in Homs began in 2011, it became impossible to continue working in carpentry because construction stopped.

Mohamad and his family moved constantly to avoid bombings. Food and water were scarce as the siege continued. Mohamad was of military age so he could be detained and forced into recruitment by the Army or into combat by rebels. He took precautions not to get stopped while trying to work for his family’s necessities.

In March 2012, Mohamad was in an accident and broke his leg above the knee. If anyone in Homs, especially young men, sought medical assistance for injuries, they would be prevented from reaching hospital and would be detained because it was assumed they were fighting for rebel groups. Mohammad knows of relatives and friends who have been detained, and in some cases, have disappeared. Very frightened, he needed to find another way to get help.

Mohamad and his family decided that the only way for him to treat his leg injury was to smuggle him outside Syria. So, on March 3, 2012, Mohamad was smuggled out of Syria to Lebanon in a car, riding in hiding with his broken leg and praying not to get found. The car took back roads and skirted areas of conflict and hoped to avoid aerial strikes and bombs as they drove through conflict zones. Mohammad was very lucky and made it to Tripoli, Lebanon. He now lives in Beirut.

Mohamad has received basic treatment for his injured leg but he needs further medical care, and, as a Syrian refugee, he is unable to work legally in Lebanon. Wafaa is expecting her their first child in 2018. Mohamad and Wafaa wish to join brother Hekmat in Canada so they can have a better future. Mohamad would bring much commercial and residential carpentry experience and Wafaa, a desire to learn English and help support Mohamad and herself.

The Government of Canada requires that we have $24,200 to sponsor the Al Othman family. So far, $12,600 has been raised for this sponsorship, leaving $11,600 to go for full funding.